Within a period of six months, German extrusion machinery company Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating has sold ten sheet extrusion lines provided with the new MIREX-MT-V polishing stack, which was launched at the K2013 last year. The company says that companies investing in the new system are mainly operating high-performance lines for the production of PET film. The new mechatronic roll set-on system is based on up-to-date technology of high-precision machine tools, it adds.

“Reasons to buy the new polishing stack are the extremely short times for changing from one film thickness to another, and thin films of thicknesses impossible to be reached so far,” claims the company. Depending on configuration and product parameters, 120 microns and less can be achieved in the production of PET film – with excellent tolerances for quality products polished on both sides. Until now, minimum film thicknesses of 150 microns could be realised in the industry only by using special equipment. Thanks to the reduction in thickness, producers of blister and display packaging can benefit from essential cost advantages, as well as reduce their product changing times and rejects by 80% and adjust the polishing nip automatically and more precisely by a factor of ten during running production. All parameters are 100% reproducible, adds the Troisdorf-headquartered firm.

Following the success of the system, Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating says it is now going to provide a further series of the polishing stack with a mechatronic roll set-on, allowing for rapid, reproducible adjustment of the roll nip. The next series of the patent pending system is expected to be completed in the first half of 2014, and will target producers of PS and PP films.